This is the sort of release I am always fascinated to listen to. Most of
these composers are new to me and all obviously love writing for the clarinet
(alone or with piano accompaniment) though each of them has his own approach
to the medium. Farshaw's Albireo (1996) is a very enjoyable work written
in a fairly straightforward way as is John Reeman's Plaint (1994)
and Geoffrey Kimpton's Serenade for Clarinet & Piano (1963/4). On the
other hand Jeremy Pike's Close Circuit written for clarinet, piano and digital
delay and Kevin Malone's The Last Memory for clarinet and digital
delay may be somewhat more "modern" although the effect of the digital delay
is in both cases fairly discreet and finely realized aiming at achieving
some mysterious poetical effects or at suggesting some sort of counterpoint
rather than using the medium as a mere gimmick. These pieces obviously do
not aim at "épater le bourgeois" as we say in French. They are really
fine pieces in their own right. The most substantial and ambitious piece
in this collection is undoubtedly David Golightly's Moods (1980) for
solo clarinet, written for Roger Heaton who plays this rather difficult and
technically demanding piece with consummate ease and assured technique. Golightly
relies on a number of modern techniques, such as quarter tones, multiphonics,
glissandi, breath tones and the like without ever giving the impression of
mere experiment. Quite the contrary, each mood is vividly depicted with
imagination and poetical insight. Obviously, to my ears at least, this is
a major addition to the repertoire. This very interesting release is rounded-off
with a delightful short piece by Stephen Plews (incidentally the only composer
I knew as a jazz musician, pianist and composer whose Secret Spaces
performed by the Steve Plews Trio is available on ASC CD 3) simply titled
Sketch which the insert notes (the composer's?) bluntly describe as
exploring "modern jazz harmony and aspects of 20th century classical music".
Anyway a delightfully jolly trifle to conclude a highly commendable release
magnificently played by Roger Heaton and Stephen Pruslin.